ELECTION 2016

Rand Paul's Mideast trip fuels prez speculation

'Needs to be discussion with Israel over them being more independent'

Published: 12/24/2012 at 4:37 PM

(COURIER-JOURNAL) — In another sign that he may be considering a White House bid, U.S. Sen. Rand Paul is planning a trip next year to Israel, accompanied by activists from Iowa and South Carolina — two key states in any Republican presidential campaign.

Paul — a Kentuckian who has said he is considering a 2016 presidential run but has made no decision — is looking to make his first trip to Israel and Jordan sometime in the new year, he said in an interview. He didn’t specify the date, citing security reasons.

He has confirmed meetings with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli President Shimon Peres, as well as with several government ministers and members of the Knesset, according to the senator’s office. Paul also is arranging meetings with Mahmoud Abbas, president of the Palestinian National Authority, Jordan’s King Abdullah and others.

Paul said some critics have depicted him as anti-Israel because he favors cutting foreign aid, but he called that depiction a “misrepresentation.”